Tom Brady points to family, fatherhood when it comes to decision on his potential retirement

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ comeback bid against the Los Angeles Rams came up just short, as Tom Brady and Co. were eliminated from the playoffs with a 30-27 loss. Many are wondering if the legendary quarterback has played his final NFL game, as retirement rumors are picking up steam.

On Saturday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported that many of Brady’s teammates and those in the Buccaneers organization were bracing for the possibility he would retire at season’s end. Brady also seemed to confirm the uncertainty when he was asked about retirement following Sunday’s loss. It almost looked like Brady would never slow down, so why the sudden change of heart? On his “Let’s Go!” podcast posted Monday, Brady pointed to his wife and his kids for a potential reason to hang up the cleats.

“It pains her to see me get hit out there,” Brady said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.

“Playing football I get so much joy from. I love it. But not playing football, there’s a lot of joy in that for me also now, too, with my kids getting older and seeing them develop and grow. So all these things need to be considered and they will be.”

The 44-year-old is actually the oldest player in the NFL, but he certainly did not look like it this past season. Brady led Tampa Bay to a 13-4 record while throwing for a career-high 5,316 yards, 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has been in the NFL since 2000, and owns league records for most career wins, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Brady has the offseason to weigh his options, as the NFL world holds its breath awaiting a decision from the greatest player of all time.